Pennisetum glaucum
| Pennisetum glaucum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 10' |
| Blooms: | Early Fall-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Pennisetum glaucum (common name: pearl millet)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer.
Cultivation: Requires a light well-drained soil in a sunny position[1]. Succeeds in dry infertile soils[2]. This species is the most drought-resistant of all cereal crops[1].
Cultivated for its edible seed in tropical and sub-tropical areas[3][4], it is especially suited to regions with a short growing season[5]. It is a more problematical crop in Britain, requiring a hot summer if it is to ripen a good crop of seed. There are often not many seeds on the inflorescence[2].
Range: E. Asia - China.
Habitat: River banks in sandy soils, common as a weed[6].
Edibility: Seed - raw or cooked. It can be used like rice in sweet or savoury dishes, or can be ground into a powder and used as a flour for making bread, porridge etc[6][7][8]. The grain is often fermented to make various foods[8] The sweet tasting grains are eaten raw by children[8]. Very nutritious[9].
Medicinal: The plant is appetiser and tonic[10]. It is useful in the treatment of heart diseases[10].
The fruits have been rubbed on open facial pimples in order to get rid of them[11].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: P.americanum. (L.)Schum. P. typhoideum. Rich.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Grounds, Roger. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm, 1989.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Natural Food Institute. Wonder Crops 1987.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Brouk, Bohuslav. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press, 1975.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.